Bedtime Story
by The Cake Genius
Summary: This isn't exactly a usual Perigree's Eve, but you suppose it isn't that bad, in the end. [RoseMary, day 1 of Femslash Week!]


**Disclaimer: I in no way own this material. I do not own sanity. I do not own cosplay. I do not own common sense.**

**A/N: Welcome to Femslash Week. In honor of my first full week of this school year, I will be writing a different oneshot ever day of the week. Wish me luck, friends.**

**Monday: Organization, education, responsibility, sophistication, secret nerdiness. It's Rosemary day!**

**Attack of the fluff. XD**

* * *

This Perigree's Eve hasn't been exactly normal by any standards, so you guess this shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, it isn't every sweep you end up on a meteor with a variety of aliens that seem determined to call the holiday "New Year's Eve," and away from your hive and lusus.

Of course, you two have been separated for some time now, but you remember you time with her fondly, and you do occasionally miss the comfort of your old home. And though the Alternian second winter was bitingly cold, you had always appreciated that time of the sweep when pale, white sunlight streamed through your windows only for a few hours a day, and you wrapped yourself in layers of fabric to keep warm. There was no better time to stay at home and read, or design dresses covered in sparkles and fur.

Of course, there are advantages to your resources on the meteor, but you do feel the lack of changing seasons and light. It is always so dark here, no matter how many globe fixtures they hang from the ceiling.

You sit alone on your pile of pillows and rest one hand on the wall of your room. It thrums with fire. The other hand props open the pages of a book you brought from home; one of your last surviving remnants of your old life. You glow softly in the dark, your own skin acting as illumination for the precious tome.

Your door creaks open, and a girlish silhouette is cast against the artificial light.

You pretend you hadn't jumped from shock. "Rose? Do you need something?"

The girl closes the door on the outside festivities quietly and pads across the room to you, avoiding the various tables scattered with your cloths and candles. Though it is dark, she has memorized the room already.

The faint light you give off makes her frame seem sharp and washed-out, like a monster from one of your stories, but her golden dress stands out as a small warmth.

You smile a little with pride. You'd been working on that dress for the last month, and it has turned out splendidly.

"Kanaya?" she all but whispers.

"What is it, dear?"

She slowly, slowly sinks down into the pillows beside you, burying her legs. One of them rushes yours. She lies her head on your shoulder, her flaxen hair ticklish against your skin, and sighs out, "They're being so loud. Tell me a story."

You see the mug she's holding. "Darling, what have you been drinking?"

She takes a small sip. "Don't worry. This is just hot chocolate."

"Who made it?" You don't trust Terezi, and certainly not Gamzee. The Mayor is... not the shiniest can in town, and you know for a fact that Dave has been into the Human Apple Cider.

Rose laughs a bit. "Don't worry. Karkat made it. It's a bit too hot, and a little sharp around the edges... but just the right amount of bittersweet."

You stroke her hair silently. The top two buttons of her dress have slipped out. Her shoulder is exposed, but instead of being aroused, you think that she looks a bit like a child; small and fragile and in need of care.

She sends a reproachful gaze upwards. "Do you know any stories?"

"Oh! Yes." You remember yourself and adjust your arms so that one of them wraps around her little shoulders. She snuggles into your side, but you think she was trying very hard not to, so you don't comment on it. "I could read you a passage from this book. I've been re-reading it. I find it very-"

She shakes her head, and you stop abruptly. "No, no," she murmurs, and yes, that is a little slurred, but it isn't as bad as usual. You think she'll probably remember this tomorrow, if it is a little hazy. "I want a real story. No monsters. No trolls. No game. No magic. No one dies."

You place a gentle kiss on the top of her head. You don't know what a story would be without a good villain, but you think you know what she means.

"Well, once upon a time..." you begin, and rack your brains for more. "There was a princess named... Viola, who lived in a big, golden castle with her cat."

"What was the cat's name?" Rose mumbles.

You cast around your head for an answer, and settle on a detail you found once in your research of human society. "Her name was Kali."

"The goddess?"

"Yes, like that, but she wasn't a goddess. She was only a sweet little cat."

You can feel Rose closing her eyes already. "Yeah, that's good, keep going..."

"One day," you whisper as you lie your head on hers, "Kali ran away. Don't worry, though. We know from the beginning that everything will be okay. She'll come back..."

And there, Rose was already asleep, her soft, small breaths landing like butterflies on your arm. You look at her with a little bemusement, but set your book aside. You suppose this Perigree's Eve hasn't been so bad after all.


End file.
